The present invention relates to a device for dispensing solid medicine in the form of pills or tablets which are to be taken in some sort of periodic regimen.
There are various types of dispensers on the market for dispensing pills or tablets on a periodic basis. Dispensers of the type in question are marked with some sort of an indicator, and they indicate to the user the particular time periods they are to be taken. A typical dispenser is one for dispensing tablets to be taken on a daily basis, such as, birth control pills. However, it can be appreciated that this is but one form of medicine that could be dispensed by the dispenser, and it is intended to cover dispensers to be used with any medicine taken in a solid pill form on a periodic basis.
The present invention relates to an improvement in a dispenser of the type described in assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,709. This patent discloses a novel dispenser, but is deficient in that it is designed for the user to start taking the first tablet of the regimen consisting of different tablets on a preset day, such as, a Sunday. Thus, if the user is to begin taking the first tablet of the regimen on some day other than a Sunday, he either has to ignore the indicator, or wait until Sunday before he begins taking the pills from the dispenser. It can be appreciated that in the case of birth control pills, the user would be at risk if she does not start at the time she should be starting, which would be at a prescribed time relating to the user's menstrual cycle.